Premier League Hall of Fame: Thierry Henry

Arsenal's record goalscorer Thierry Henry is a legend of English football and, along with Alan Shearer, he was one of the first two inductees to the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2021.

Thierry Henry Profile:

Name	Thierry Henry
Date of Birth	17/08/1977
Place of Birth	Les Ulis, France
Position	Forward
Premier League club(s)	Arsenal
Premier League appearances	258
Premier League goals	175
Premier League assists	74
Premier League titles	2
PFA Players' Player of the Year awards	2
Premier League Golden Boots	4

The making of Thierry Henry

Raised in Paris, Thierry Henry came through the youth system at Monaco, where he was given his senior debut at the age of 17 by manager Arsene Wenger.

He swiftly vindicated Wenger's faith, winning the Ligue 1 title in 1996/97 and scoring seven goals in Monaco's run to the Champions League semi-finals the following season.

Henry burst on to the world stage at the 1998 World Cup, scoring his first three international goals during France's triumphant campaign, and he was snapped up by Juventus in January 1999 for a fee of £10.5 million.

He struggled to settle in Italy and made a swift exit from Juve when former manager Wenger signed him for Arsenal in August 1999 after the sale of Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid.

The £11million fee paid by the Gunners now looks like a snip, but Henry had a few teething problems in the Premier League as Wenger attempted to convert him from a left-winger into a striker.

Even so, he finished his first campaign in England with 17 goals in 31 Premier League appearances and matched that tally in 2000/01, scoring a stunning volley in the Gunners' 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Highbury.

Arsenal finished as runners-up to United in the league in Henry's first two seasons, also losing to Galatasaray in the UEFA Cup final in 2000 and Liverpool in the 2001 FA Cup final.

Henry starred in France's victory at Euro 2000 and more silverware soon followed at club level in an outstanding Arsenal side featuring Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires.

Wenger had delivered the double in his first full season as Arsenal manager in 1997/98 and he repeated the feat in 2001/02.

Pires was sensational that season but Henry provided the cutting edge up front, claiming the Premier League Golden Boot with 24 goals as Arsenal won the title by seven points from Liverpool before beating Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup final.

In 2002/03, Arsenal finished second to United but again won the FA Cup and it was another superb individual campaign for Henry.

His evolution into a complete striker was reflected by his haul of 24 goals and 20 assists in the league and he was named PFA Player of the Year.    

Inspiration for the Invincibles

Wenger's brilliant Arsenal team scaled new heights in 2003/04 when they went through the entire league season unbeaten, earning the title of 'The Invincibles'.

Unsurprisingly, it was also Henry's best season in England as he scored 30 goals in 37 league outings and found the net 39 times in all competitions, winning the European Golden Shoe.

One of the many highlights of 2003/04 was Henry's hat-trick in a 4-2 win against Liverpool, who had led 2-1 at half-time, and he maintained his goalscoring form in 2004/05, sharing the European Golden Shoe with Diego Forlan.

After Vieira's departure in the summer of 2005, Henry was appointed Arsenal captain and he led a young Gunners side to their first Champions League final, scoring a wonderful individual goal in a 1-0 win away to Real Madrid in the last 16. 

Arsenal lost 2-1 to Barcelona in the final in Paris but Henry's brace against Sparta Prague earlier in the campaign saw him pass Ian Wright's club record of 185 goals, and he finished the Premier League season with a hat-trick against Wigan in the Gunners' final match at Highbury.

After those landmarks, the 2006/07 season was a tough one for Henry, who struggled with injuries before signing for Barcelona in June 2007.

He enjoyed three trophy-laden years at Camp Nou before moving to MLS franchise New York Red Bulls, although he returned to Arsenal for a brief loan spell in January 2012, scoring a late winner against Sunderland in his final appearance to take his Premier League goal tally to 175.

As a four-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, Arsenal's record goalscorer, an Invincible champion and one of the most exciting footballers of the modern era, Henry is undoubtedly a legend of the Premier League.

Style of play:

Henry's combination of blistering pace, technical ability and ruthless finishing made him a nightmare for Premier League defenders.

Those qualities were encapsulated by a glorious solo goal against Tottenham in 2002 when he ran with the ball from deep in his own half before lashing a left-footed finish past Spurs goalkeeper Kasey Keller.   

Having learned his trade as a winger, Henry was always comfortable cutting in from the left flank and unleashing his trademark finish: a shot bent unerringly into the far corner of the goal.

His goalscoring repertoire also included penalties, free-kicks, long-range strikes and moments of brilliant improvisation, such as a memorable back-heel goal against Charlton in 2004.

As his tally of 74 Premier League assists proves, Henry was more than just a goalscorer and he shares the record for the most assists in a Premier League season, 20, with Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne. 

Life after football:

Following the end of his illustrious playing career in 2014, Henry has had two spells as assistant coach to Belgium manager Roberto Martinez, either side of managerial stints with former club Monaco and MLS side Montreal Impact.

He is a popular television pundit, most recently on CBS, and always receives a warm welcome at Arsenal, where a statue of him celebrating his famous goal against Tottenham stands outside the Emirates Stadium.

Did you know?

As well as a remarkable list of football trophies, awards and records, Thierry Henry is also a Knight of the Legion of Honour, France's highest order of merit. 

Among the other luminaries to have received the Legion of Honour are Field Marshal Montgomery, Irish painter Jack B Yeats, Giorgio Armani, Steven Spielberg and JK Rowling.